Amalgamator.



F. STIENEN.

AMALGAMATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 3EPT.16, 1909.

Patented Apr. 26, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND STIENEN, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

AMALGAMATOE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND STLENEN, of Lynn, in the county of Essexand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Amalgamators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for the treatment of ore in the formof what is usually called ore-pulp, to separate the precious metalstherefrom, the type of machine to which this invention belongs beingusually known as amalgamating machines because of the employment ofmercury to effect the separation of the precious metals from thetailings.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an apparatus of thischaracter having means whereby the ore-pulp is continuously turned overand worked into the body of mercury while being fed or worked along saidbody.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter having means for stirring up or agitating the upper strata ofthe mercury, and opposing agitation of the lower strata to permit theprecious metals to settle gradually to the bottom.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for heating thetailings to loosen the mercury therefrom, a sluiceway or chute beingemployed for retaining the mercury which might otherwise be washed out.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a completeapparatus embodying my invention, a portion of the tailings chute beingbroken out. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view, partially broken away, of themain portion of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the mainportion of the apparatus, on a larger scale than in Fig. 1, but with theinclosing casing shown in section. Fig. 4 represents a transversesection of the trough and its cover and the agitating and conveyingscrews, on a larger scale than the other figures.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similarparts in all ofthe views.

The trou h 10, for containing the mercury, is supporte upon suitablelegs 11. Its bottom is preferably formed with an internal rib or ridge12, so that on each side of said Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 16, 1909.

Patented Apr. 26, 1910.

Serial No. 518,106.

ridge or rib the bottom is formed in the arc of a circle of which theaxis of a shaft 13, forms the center. There are two of the shafts, eachmounted in bearings 14, in the end walls of the casing or trough, saidtwo shafts having gears 15 which mesh with each other so that the twoshafts will rotate in opposite directions. To one of the shafts is alsosecured a sprocket 16, which may engage and be driven by a chainindicated at 17 by dotted lines.

Each shaft 13 is provided with spiral blades 18, which, as indicatedconventionally in Figs. 2 and 8 may be of sheet metal. Preferably,however, said blades are formed of a suitable wire mesh or screenmaterial as indicated in Fig. 4, the said blades being held in positionby suitable arms 19, connected to and radiating from the shafts.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the blades 18 of one shaft overlap those ofthe other. That is, the radial length of the blades is greater thanone-half of the distance between the two shafts. Consequently it isimpossible for any of the material to escape the depressing effect ofsaid blades.

A cover 20 is hinged at 21 and is provided with a port 22, to which awater supply pipe may be connected. Mounted on the under side of thecover and leading from said port 22, is a pipe 23, having branches 24provided with perforations as indicated in Fig. 4. Said perforations arepreferably formed in the sides of the branches so that numerous finejets of water will be projected in the direction in which the ore-pulpis being caused to move by the spiral-bladed shafts. To deflect suchwater toward the center of the trough, and to also guide the ore to thelongitudinal center of the trough so that it will be repeatedlysubmerged, I may employ suitable wings 25 secured to the sides of thetrough and inclined in a proper direction to deflect the water asstated. A hopper 26, into which the ore-pulp for treatment is delivered,is connected by a passage 27 with the trough, a feed-screw 28 beingpreferably employed to facilitate the introduction of the ore-pulp intothe trough. Said feed-screw may be actuated by a suitable chain (notshown) engaging sprocket 29 on the shaft of said feed-screw. The cover20 is provided with a guiding enlargement 30 to direct the ore-pulpdownward into the trough at a point substantially midway of one endthereof so that the material will pass toward the space between the twoshafts 13. The other end of the trough is provided with a dischargespout 31 to direct the tailings into a heater box 32. Said heater boxmay comprise a simple chamber having an inlet and outlet, the spout 31entering the inlet, and having a steam supply pipe 33, and an outlet orescape pipe 34. Said heater box is supported by means of a suitableframe 35, preferably so that it may be moved aside from the trough andthe discharge spout 31. The heater-box is provided with a suitableoutlet to discharge the tailings into a chute 36 having one or morescreens 37, preferably of suitable wire fabric which are adapted tocatch and hold mercury which might be escaping to prevent said mercuryfrom being washed away by the escape water. The object of heating thetailings escaping from the amalgamating trough is to loosen the mercuryfrom the particles of waste material, so as to enable the separatingdevices in the tailings chute to perform their functions.

Suitable outlets 38 having valves 39 are provided to enable the preciousmetals and the mercury to be withdrawn from the bot tom of the trough.

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated an especial feature of my invention, saidfeature comprising one or more layers of screen material 40 in thebottom of the trough. Said material is not illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3be cause said figures are on a smaller scale. As shown in Fig. 4, Ipreferably employ three layers, although I may employ a greater number.In practice these layers are of different degrees of fineness, the inneror upper one having the coarser mesh. The object of the employment ofopen-work material in the bottom of the trough is to present obstaclesto lateral movement of the lower strata of material in said trough so asto gradually quiet down the mercury which is agitated by the blades ofthe shafts 13 and consequently enable the precious metals to bettersettle to the bottom without being affected by the continual agitationthat is going on in the upper strata of merl l l l 1 l a l cury. Thisgradual reduction in the amount of movement which the mercury can have,as it works its Way downward, brings the loW- est stratum of mercury toa standstill so that the precious metals can settle and be drawn offfrom the trough without having to draw off the entire body of mercury.

It will thus be understood that the shafts and their spiral blades notonly continually advance the ore-pulp in the trough and act torepeatedly depress the minerals into the mercury during its progress,but also keep the pulp and mercury in a continual state of agitation.But the layers of open-work material in the bottom of the troughgradually reduce this amount of agitation to nothing at the extremebottom of the trough.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An amalgamator comprising in its construction a mercury trough, apair of shafts mounted therein connected to rotate in oppositedirections, and spiral blades of screen material carried by said shafts,the blades of the two shafts overlapping each other.

2. An amalgamator comprising in its 0011- struction a mercury troughhaving a longitudinal ridge or rib, the bottom being curved on each sideof said rib or ridge, two spiral bladed shafts connected to be rotatedin opposite directions, and open-work material in the bottom of thetrough.

3. An amalgamator comprising in its construction a mercury trough, meansfor me chanically forcing ore-pulp longitudinally of the trough, amovable cover, means carried by said cover for supplying water in thesame direction as that in which the orepulp is forced, and deflectors inposition to direct both the water and the upper portions of the ore-pulptoward the center of the trough while it is being carried longitudinallyof the trough.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

FERDINAND STIENEN.

Vitnesses P. W. PEZZETTI, FRANKLIN E. PARKER.

